Electrical harness.



No. 792,066. PATENTED JUNE 13, 1905.

W. D. MOGREGOR.

ELECTRICAL HARNESS.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 5,1904.

' ATTORNEY UNITED STATES Patented June 13, 1905.

WILLIAM D. MGGREGOR, OF SLOOAN, CANADA.

ELECTRICAL HARN ESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,066, dated June 13, 1905. Application filerl December 5, 1904. Serial No- 235,507.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. MoGReeoR, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Slocan, in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrical Harness, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved terminal connection for an electrotherapeutic current and means for applying the same to the person of a patient under treatment.

In the modern application of electricity as a therapeutic agent the importance of lowpower currents applied for long periods of time is "ery largely recognized, and my harness and the means for connecting the terminals of an electric circuit thereto are designed to facilitate this application.

The terminals consist of resilient metallic clips, preferably of silver, to which the wires of the battery circuit may be connected. These terminal clips may themselves form the electrodes of the appliance, or special electrodes of various kinds, according to the requirements of any particular case, may be secured to them. These terminals are applied to the body of the patient under treatment by light strips or bands of non-conducting material, such as woven web, on which the terminals are endwise slidable, so that, the strips being secured on the body by buckle or other appropriate fastening, the electrode will be retained in the desired position and in contact with the body.

The particular construction and application of the device is fully described in the following specification, reference being made to the drawings which accompany it.

Figure 1 is a general view of the spinal strip and its securing-collar and waistband. Fig. 1 is a detail view of the supplemental strap 6. Figs. 2, 2*, and 2" represent supplementary bands for the attachment of the terminal clip to head, arm, leg, &c. Fig. 3 is a perspective View, to an enlarged scale, of one of the terminal clips; and Fig. & is a similar view of a supplemental electrode attachment.

As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the

primary harness for the application of the terminal electrodes to the body of a patient consists of a spinal strip 2, designed to extend down the spine from the nape of the neck. This strip 2. may be held in place by a collar 3 and a waist-belt 4 secured to it, which collar and belt may be fastened by a buckle, button, or clasp. The locality of the principle nervejunctions to the spinal cord may be indicated and numbered on this spinal strip 2, so that the patient may be instructed to apply the positive or negative electrode to any particular junction by number. Supplementary bands 5 may be furnished to encircle the head or any limb of the body, and a strip 6 may be connected between the collar and the waistband for the application of the electrodes to any desired portion of the front or sides of the body.

The clip which forms the terminal of the circuit in its application to the body is designed to be slidable on any of the bands or strips 2, 3, 4:, or 5 and consists of a strip of light metal, preferably silver, bent to partially encircle the Width and thickness of the bands or strips, the plain flat portion 8 of the clip being to the inner side, so as to be next to the body. The lower part 9 of the clip is merely turned over the lower edge of the band, and the upper portion 10 is similarly bent over the upper edge, but extends farther down and is inwardly bent toward the face 8, so as to have a resilient nip on the web of the harness. This portion 8 is cut away toward the center, so as to form two depending ends 11, which ends are doubled back outward and form cleats 7 between which the terminal wires 20 of the electric circuit may be secured, the resilience of the metal afiording the required pressure on the wire to insure electric contact. The extreme ends of the outwardlybent cleats may be slightly curved outward to facilitate the entrance of the wire within the cleat. This portion 8 of the terminal clip may form a surface electrode where such is required, but if an electrode of another kind is desired-such as sponge, brush, or coilany one of them may be attached by securing the same to a metal strip doubled back on itself, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the portion 12 being adapted to slide between the portion 8 of the clip and the web of the band, with the portion 13 toward the body, and this portion 13 is provided with any desired kind of electrodesponge, brush, or coil. In the illustration a surface of sponge is shown.

In the application of the device the harness or such portion of it as may be required for any particular case is applied to the body of the patient, and terminal clips are placed on the strips or bands, so as to apply the electrodes to the nerve-centers which it is desired to influence. The terminal wires of the circuit being secured to the cleats of the terminal clips the current will pass through the nerves between the two points of application. The clips being endwise slidable on the strips the current may be applied particularly to any desired place.

The harness is a light and convenient one to wear, so that it may be retained throughout the day or during sleep without inconvenience, the battei'vcells which furnish the current being bestowed about the person in any suitable manner, so that the full advantage of a long-sustained moderate current may be experienced.

\Vhere a suspensory is required to be used, it may conveniently be attached to the lower end of the spinal-strip 2 and the front. of the waistband 4.

Having now particularly described my invention and the manner of its application, I declare that what I claim as new, and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the class described; the combination with a band or strip designed to be secured to the body of the patient, of a metallic clip bent to inclose the width of the band, one outer portion of such clip being bifurcated and the free bifurcated ends bent inward toward the body of the elip'so as to engage the thickness of the band or strip it is designed to embrace and outwardly turned and bent on themselves to form cleats within which a terminal wire of the circuit may be secured.

2. In a device of the class described; the combination with a band or strip of a metallic clip bent to embrace the width of the strip and partially encircle it, means for securing a terminal wire of the circuit thereto and means for attaching an electrode to the terminal clip comprising; a strip of metal doubled on itself, one of the doubled portions having the desired electrode secured to the outer side and the other portion adapted to pass between the terminal clip and the band or strip.

3. In a device of the class described; the combination with a spinal strip the upper end of which is secured to a collar and the lower end to a waistband, and a band to encircle the head or any limb of the body, of metallic clips slidably embracing the width and thickness of the strip or band. and having a resilient grip thereon, said clips at the outer side of the band having bifurcated ends outwardly folded on themselves to form cleats in which the terminal wires of an electric circuit may be secured, and means for securing an electrode of any desired construction to either of the clips.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

IVILLIAM D. MOGREGOR.

Witnesses:

ROWLAND BRITTAIN, ELLIou WVEBBER. 

